ETHNOGRAPHY OF COMMUNICATION: THE IGBO TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Language is the eye with which human beings see and interpret the world around them. It is the means through which people express their social group and culture. In fact, language is the property of one’s speech community which sets the standards of behaviour and the appropriateness of language use for different contexts and situations. An Igbo adage says that “Okwu ab?gh? ?t? kobo”. That is, speech is not sold at three for one kobo. Further still, it means that the act of speaking is not easy or cheap. That is why this paper looks into the ethnography of communication: the Igbo traditional marriage perspective. That is to say, it seeks to use the case of Igbo traditional marriage to investigate and analyse the speaking codes and norms specified for the Igbo people by their speech community as a means of judging situational appropriateness. This write up relies on Hymes (1962) proposal of an “Ethnography of Speaking” as it reflects in the case of Igbo traditional marriage to bring out the conformity or otherwise to the generally acceptable contexts of language use. The paper also seeks to establish to what degree the application of Hyme’s paradigm is workable in the Igbo traditional marriage. At the end, the paper is able to establish not only that Hyme’s proposal has some flaws in the area of events sequence or procedural order but also that the Igbo speaking norms with regard to traditional marriage is scarcely in danger, as it is preserved by each kindred’s consistent effort to ensure that only relations versed in marriage matters represent or speak for them during such occasions.